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We walked up the street, attended by a rabble rout of boys diavoli scatenati clean, grinning, white-teethed, who kept incessantly shouting, "Soldo, soldo!" I do not know why these sea-urchins are so far more irrepressible than their land brethren. But it is always thus in Italy. They take an imperturbable delight in noise and mere annoyance.
When I gave him a soldo, he returned me a blessing which I would be ashamed to take in the United States for half a dollar; and when the soldo was in some inaccessible pocket, and I begged him to await my coming back, he said sweetly, "Very well, Signor, I will be here." And I must say, to his credit, that he never broke his promise, nor suffered me, for shame's sake, to break mine.
Sometimes what they say is, of course, nothing more than otiose compliment; sometimes they are merely introducing the subject of their want of money in an artistic manner in the hope of anything from a soldo to a promise to take them into service as valet, courier, coachman, or whatever it may be a sort of shaking of Fortune's bag to see what will come out.
The sacristan did not hear, but caught sight of the urchin and made a lunge at him. He missed him, however, and nearly fell over. "What education! che educazione!" cried the old man, angrily. Meanwhile the little boy took refuge behind Saracinesca, and pulling his coat asked for a soldo. The sacristan calmly withdrew the key from the lock, and went away without vouchsafing a look to the Prince.
"The price is thirty-three million, three hundred and thirty-three thousand, three hundred and thirty-three scudi, and not a soldo less!" announced the shoemaker, with a broad smile. Then he laid his fingers on his lips. "Pst! Not a word! I know all. It will be all right." Blanka saw now that he had recognised her the moment she entered his shop.
I've shopped in Bond Street, and I've lost money at Ascot. Oh, yes!" he laughed. "I know your wonderful London! And now I have nothing in the world not a soldo of my own. I am simply a Brother and I am content," he said, with a strange look of peace and resignation.
The shoulder was badly bruised and grazed, and there was a deep gash on the arm. "That's an ugly cut to give a mite like you," said the Gadfly, fastening his handkerchief round the wound to prevent the jacket from rubbing against it. "What did he do it with?" "The shovel. I went to ask him to give me a soldo to get some polenta at the corner shop, and he hit me with the shovel."
They meant him to be a priest, and raked and scraped every soldo to educate him. Now, just when he is at the point of being able to repay them, he makes up his mind that he has no vocation for the priesthood, and breaks their hearts by his ingratitude. It is nonsense to set one's will up so and have such scruples. Obedience is vocation enough for anything.
You would prevent her singing in public places you, Countess d'Isorella, because you do not forgive her marriage to Count Ammiani; you, Irma, to spite her for her voice. You would hiss her out of hearing, you two miserable creatures. Not another soldo for you! Not one! and to-morrow, countess, I will see my lawyer. Irma, begone, and shriek to your wardrobe!"
It was just the life he loved, the ideal life, and it wasn't costing him a cent no, not a soldo, to speak more in the Venetian manner. While he was looking forward to the life to come, he had hardly time to perfect his arrangements for a realization of it. He was to pack everything and store it in a bonded warehouse, where it should remain until he had taken root abroad.
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